PRESS RELEASES

Texas Private College Association Announces New Leadership

(June 29, 2020) – The Board of Directors of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, Inc. (ICUT) today announced Dr. Steven Johnson as President of ICUT, effective July 1. Johnson succeeds Ray Martinez III, who departed ICUT in February.

Johnson joins ICUT from Western Governors University Texas, where he served as Chancellor and Regional Vice President. At WGU Texas Johnson worked to build partnerships and expand access to affordable, high-quality education in Texas. Prior to joining WGU Texas, he served for 13 years with the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Public Affairs. Before that, he served as Special Assistant for Governmental Relations at the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board, as Chief-of-Staff for a leading member of the Texas House of Representatives and as the Director of Student Financial Services at Concordia University Texas, an ICUT member.

“With his focus on students and extensive background in state higher education, Steven is ideally suited to lead ICUT,” said Fred Slabach, Chair of the ICUT Board of Directors and President of Texas Wesleyan University. “We look forward to his leadership in these unprecedented times for independent institutions in Texas.”

Johnson was selected from a pool of talented candidates that emerged after a nationwide search conducted by a committee appointed by the ICUT Board, with assistance from Academic Search. His appointment was approved by a vote of the ICUT membership in early June.

“I’m excited to join ICUT and work on behalf of these critical institutions,” said Johnson. “Private colleges and universities in Texas are essential in helping the state achieve the goals of the 60x30TX higher education strategic plan by providing students options for high-quality in-person and online educational opportunities at a diverse range of institutions.”

Johnson earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Higher Education from the University of Nebraska, a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Concordia University Texas.

About Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, Inc. (ICUT)

ICUT, a nonprofit association, is the voice for Texas’ fully accredited private colleges and universities. For over 50 years, it has fulfilled its mission of helping policymakers recognize the importance and value of the independent sector of higher education by successfully articulating the sector’s needs and aspirations.